MSTY vs ULTY: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
MSTY and ULTY are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. MSTY is YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF, while ULTY is YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF. ULTY is broader by holdings count, with 101 positions versus 24 for MSTY. MSTY has the lower expense ratio. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has ULTY ahead on AIQ Score, 40 versus 33.
What is the main difference between MSTY and ULTY?
ULTY holds 101 positions to MSTY's 24.
| Metric | MSTY | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 1.03% | 1.4% |
| Holdings | 24 | 101 |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 141.1% | 98.01% |
| Average volume | 1,967,123 | 476,225 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -75.4% | -54.8% |
| YTD return | -51.4% | -36.5% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 71.1% | 24.1% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -81.3% | -54.5% |
| Beta | 2.81 | 1.41 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.70 | -3.26 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.98 | -4.82 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 33/100 | 40/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 1/10 | 2/10 |
| Momentum | 29/100 | 24/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 0/100 | 58/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF vs YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF
ULTY leads
ULTY leads by 7 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience, having only recently taken the lead back from MSTY.
Fragile: 2 of 3 evidence groups support ULTY, the lead recently changed hands, and its current signal state is conflicted.
YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF
YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors ULTY over MSTY, 40 versus 33 as of Oct 21, 2026. ULTY's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience, while MSTY holds the stronger momentum profile. ULTY also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor ULTY today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. ULTY lead: Reversed — MSTY led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; ULTY now leads by 7.
Compare YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF and YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
MSTY vs ULTY: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | MSTY | ULTY | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 1.03% | 1.4% | MSTY |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 24 | 101 | ULTY |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 141.1% | 98.01% | MSTY |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 1 year | -81.3% | -54.5% | ULTY |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 71.1% | 24.1% | ULTY |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare MSTY and ULTY against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience0 vs 58ULTY +58
- Momentum29 vs 24MSTY +5
- Quality54 vs 50MSTY +4
2 of 3 evidence groups favor ULTY. ULTY’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience; MSTY keeps a meaningful momentum edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +5
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 7 active signals are unchanged.
ULTY's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — MSTY and ULTY both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
ULTY (YieldMax Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by risk resilience.
MSTY (YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF): the counter-case, on momentum, quality, technicals — but at materially higher volatility, 51.7% against 21.7%.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | MSTY | ULTY | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 1.03% | 1.4% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 24 | 101 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 1,967,123 | 476,225 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 71.1% | 24.1% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -81.3% | -54.5% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.70 | -3.26 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 2.81 | 1.41 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
MSTY vs ULTY: five-year payout growth
MSTY began paying distributions in 2024, so it has no 2020-2025 growth rate to compare. ULTY began paying distributions in 2024, so it has no 2020-2025 growth rate to compare.
| Dividend metric | MSTY | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 annual payout | $87.205 | $53.014 |
| Peer rank | not ranked | not ranked |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor ULTY. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | ULTY | 33 vs 40 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | Not covered | Not covered |
| Technicals | MSTY | Price vs 50-day 1.5% vs -8.6%; vs 200-day -27.6% vs -21.8% |
| Risk Resilience | ULTY | Risk Resilience 0 vs 58 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of MSTY and ULTY and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 7 points.
- The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on ULTY.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20ULTY lead: Reversed — MSTY led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; ULTY now leads by 7.
- Today
- ULTY +7
- 33 vs 40
- 7 sessions ago
- ULTY +2
- 38 vs 40
- 30 sessions ago
- MSTY +1
- 44 vs 43
- 90 sessions ago
- ULTY +11
- 36 vs 47
The lead changed hands 3 times in this window, most recently on Oct 8 when ULTY moved ahead of MSTY.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
0 bullish / 3 bearish / 2 neutral
Only MSTY
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (6.22%)
1 bullish / 5 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only ULTY
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (0.0%)
Both carry 4 more signals that do not separate them: Bollinger Band Squeeze, Death Cross Active, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
ULTY leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +6.04%, AIQ +1 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.51%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1MSTY closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 58 points behind, the largest single contributor to ULTY's edge.
- 2MSTY's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3ULTY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 5 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
ULTY leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | MSTY | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -7.2% | -5.8% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -18.6% | -9.8% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 8.1% | -13% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -43.5% | -25.7% |
| Year to date | -51.4% | -36.5% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -75.4% | -54.8% |
Technicals
MSTY has the stronger structure| Metric | MSTY | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 36.5 | 29.5 |
| ADX (14) | 21.2 | 33.9 |
| Price vs 50-day | 1.5% | -8.6% |
| Price vs 200-day | -27.6% | -21.8% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 51.7% | 21.7% |
Risk
ULTY is the more resilient| Metric | MSTY | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 2.81 | 1.41 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.7 | -3.26 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.98 | -4.82 |
| Max drawdown | -81.3% | -54.5% |
| Current drawdown | -76.7% | -54.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 71.1% | 24.1% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -6.6% | -3.1% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between MSTY and ULTY?
ULTY holds 101 positions to MSTY's 24.
Which ETF is more diversified, MSTY or ULTY?
ULTY holds more positions: 101 versus 24 for MSTY.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
MSTY has the lower expense ratio, 1.03% a year against 1.4% for ULTY.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
MSTY, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 141.1% against 98.01% for ULTY.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
MSTY has been more volatile over the past year, at 71.1% annualized against 24.1% for ULTY.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
ULTY fell less from peak to trough over the past year: -54.5% against -81.3% for MSTY.
Compare MSTY and ULTY with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.